Walmart worker Melissa McComish never dreamed she could afford to own a home.

But with the help of a state trust for low-income housing, the Clearwater single mom with two children obtained a no-interest loan and bought a three-bedroom house with a back yard.

"It's the biggest blessing ever," said McComish, 46, adding that she used to be homeless. "I never could have gotten here without help."

Two state lawmakers and several legislative aides heard that story and more Tuesday and Wednesday as affordable housing advocates took them on minibus tours of Pinellas County.

The Low-Income Housing Leadership Network organized the tours to showcase properties built with money from the state's Sadowski trust, an affordable housing fund that lawmakers have raided the past four years to pay for other things.

The effort is a response to lawmakers who say they hesitated to allocate money to the state's low-income housing funds because they didn't know how the money was being spent.

Only two aides showed up on Tuesday's tour of north Pinellas County, despite months of emails and invitations. But state Sen. Jeff Brandes, R-St. Petersburg, state Rep. Dwight Dudley, D-St. Petersburg, and two other aides attended Wednesday's tour of south Pinellas.

At issue is the state's Sadowski trust, which created in 2002 a pot of money that was supposed to be reserved only for affordable housing. The Legislature hasn't used the full fund for its intended purpose since 2008.

The trust, which in part administers money through a program known as SHIP, can help with things like down payment assistance so low-income families can move into their own homes. It also can help with emergency home repairs that enable elderly people to remain independent rather than go into nursing homes.

It also helps fund programs for homeless people and veterans.

Housing advocates were hopeful that the tours could revive support for the Sadowski funds by impressing lawmakers with the quality of the affordable housing projects, which are organized through local government and community groups.

Among other stops, the tours visited homes built by Habitat for Humanity, apartments constructed with low-income tax credits and Homeless Emergency Project dormitories, which house veterans.

Bobby Rannazzisi, 46, an Army veteran formerly stationed at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, is at the Clearwater Homeless Emergency Project recovering from a leg infection that spread throughout his body.

He's one of eight roommates in a four-bedroom apartment with leather couches and a spacious, clean kitchen.

The veterans don't pay rent, which enables them to save money and strike out on their own so the project can help more people, said Zak White, director of programs.

"The minute we have openings, we always have families and individuals lined up," he said, adding that a $425,000 Sadowski Grant helped make the project possible.

So did the tour achieve its purpose? Are lawmakers headed into 2014 ready to fund affordable housing?

It was hard to tell after Wednesday's tour, when Republican Brandes and Democrat Dudley debated their opposing views during the time between stops.

Brandes later said the tour only helped solidify his previous opinions, including that state money for low-income housing should focus on the voucher program — which allows people to rent apartments on the open market.

Citing a case he saw Wednesday in which Sadowski funds enabled a family to get their home retrofitted to accommodate a wheelchair, Brandes said he also favors programs that make existing homes livable for people with disabilities.

Dudley said he was shocked by some of Brandes' arguments, which seemed to ignore the benefits of programs they saw on the tour.

"There are so many situations ... like with returning veterans," he said. "Do we want them to be far-flung and who knows where? Or is it useful for them to live in a dedicated place with people with like experiences?"

TAMPA — One highlight of a congressional delegation’s visit to Cuba this week was an impromptu meeting with President Raul Castro.But not for U.S. Rep. Kathy Castor.The Tampa Democrat joined five other Democrats on the trip, in part to investigate th...

The parents of first lady Melania Trump have become legal permanent residents of the United States and are close to obtaining their citizenship, according to people familiar with their status, but their attorney declined to say how or when the couple...

We’ll take "surprising side gigs" for $1,000! "Jeopardy" host Alex Trebek will moderate a debate among Republican hopefuls vying for the Pennsylvania gubernatorial nomination.The longtime game show star will be questioning candidates at an Oct. 1 for...

SPRING HILL — A Hernando County woman new to the political arena has filed as the fifth Democrat to run against longtime Florida lawmaker U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster for his spot in the U.S. House of Representatives.Dana Cottrell, 49, has lived in Sprin...

The 2017 St. Petersburg-Habana Yacht Race was celebrated as more than a competitive regatta to Cuba’s capital city of Havana.The relaunch of the maritime competition canceled since 1959 was hailed as a reflection of the detente started under former P...

WASHINGTON — The special counsel investigating Russian interference in the 2016 election charged an attorney Tuesday with lying to federal investigators about his interactions with a former Trump campaign official. A charging document filed in federa...

GREENSBORO, N.C. — A North Carolina man with a felony conviction for indecent liberties with a child was one-half of the poster couple for a new "Trump Dating" website.News outlets reported Monday that visitors to the dating site geared toward suppor...

Associated PressST. PETERSBURG, Russia — While Russian officials scoff at a U.S. indictment charging 13 Russians with meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election, several people who worked at the same St. Petersburg, Russia, "troll factory" say t...

Associated PressWEST PALM BEACH — From the confines of his Mar-a-Lago golf club, President Donald Trump offered support Monday for a limited strengthening of federal background checks on gun purchases while staying largely mum in the past few days ab...

The White House was under siege.Domestic abuse allegations against a senior aide were ignored, pointing to a potential high-level coverup. Two Cabinet secretaries were caught chargin taxpayers for luxury travel. A Playboy centerfold alleged an extram...